Gala returns to raise money for Glory Community

GALA FOR GLORY COMMUNITY: David Myers, right and Mark Hembd, make Christmas cards at Glory Community in December. The eighth annual gala on April 12 will raise money for nonprofit Glory Community, which has opened one home for adults with developmental disabilities and plans to build four more. (David R Jennings / Broomfield Enterprise)

Cost: $100 per person. Purchase tickets by Saturday at glorycommunity.org. No tickets at the door.

More details:Will include dinner, silent and live auctions, emcee Gary Shapiro of 9News and performance by comedian Kevin Fitzgerald.

On a quiet cul-de-sac in Broomfield, Glory Community is building a neighborhood to support adults with developmental disabilities.

There is one house on the block so far, where five housemates — all men who moved to Glory Community starting in 2012 — live as independently as they can.

Glory Community, a private nonprofit, is slowly building a five-home residential neighborhood for up to 40 adults with intellectual disabilities.

It's a quiet and cozy existence, but one that tends to cost a lot — up to $30,000 a year per resident — because of rent, transportation, food and other bills, said Sandy Hembd, one of the founders of Glory Community.

At Glory Community's eighth annual gala event on April 12, the organization hopes to raise $100,000 to help run day-to-day operations and provide scholarships for families who can't afford special housing services for their loved ones.

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"Affordability is a major issue to our potential resident families," Jim Hembd, president and executive director of Glory Community, said in an email. "One of our primary goals for the endowment fund is to make tuition scholarships available for families who need this support."

As part of the gala, Glory Community also will launch its first endowment building campaign with the help of the Community First Foundation. Community First (CommunityFirstFoundation.org) will provide up to $10,000 in matching funds during the gala's auction portion.

Community First Foundation offers financial support and educational opportunities for community programs and nonprofits.

"It's so important to have their support," Sandy Hembd said.

Glory Community's homes are meant to be a solution to the high demand for specialized living areas for people with developmental disabilities.

Though Colorado has resources for those with developmental disabilities, it also has many residents in need and limited funding for services, she said. There are about 6,000 developmentally disabled adults in Colorado who are currently on waiting lists for specialized residential care, she said.

Glory Community's first home has five residents, including the Hembds' two sons, 43-year-old twins, Mike and Mark. The brothers have Down syndrome.

Sandy Hembd said the organization is looking for three more male residents older than 22.

"There is so much need for housing, but people still don't always know that we're here in Broomfield," she said.

Glory Community hopes to begin construction on a second home, this one for women, in 2015, she said.

"I wish we could push a magic button and have it all built already," she said.

There might not be a magic button, but fundraising is the next best strategy for building the next phase of the neighborhood, she said.

Glory Community's eighth annual fundraising gala, a night with comedian Kevin Fitzgerald, is meant to renew community support for the organization while offering good food, auction items and plenty of laughs, she said.

Fitzgerald, a Colorado veterinarian, is known for his jokes about animals and people's obsessive love for their pets.

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